Sports
Golf

Brian Miller, manager of the London Golf Club, is head of an organization that includes 1,200 golfers and 21 area layouts. LGC offers its members the opportunity to play a number of courses at a good rate, which helps the clubs as well. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)

What started out with 25 members and six clubs in 2006 is capping its membership at 1,200 this year and includes 21 London and area layouts.

Clearly, the London Golf Club has found a formula for success.

The club, which operates online, offers reduced green fees at participating courses and has now linked up with courses in the GTA, Tri-City (Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge) and Chicago areas.

“The whole premise was to give golfers exposure to a variety of courses at reduced rates,” London Golf Club manager Brian Miller said Tuesday at FireRock in Komoka, one of the area courses on the LGC’s list. “There are two types of golfers. One belongs to a club to experience the social aspects of being a member, but there are others, especially with the number of courses that have been built in recent years, who want to play several courses but didn’t have the economic means to be able to do that.”

The LGC certainly addresses the latter. It takes out a number of memberships at the participating courses to allow for up to 300 of its members to play each day, with players able to book up to seven days in advance. In addition, depending on the level of membership, members get a certain number of $25 credits that can lower green fees even more.

For example, the normal daily green fee at FireRock is $85. LGC members are charged $40, which is cut to $15 if one of the credits is used.

“People know where FireRock is, but at $85 it’s a once-a-year trip,” Miller said. “Now it’s doable for the average golfer who wants more bang for his or her buck.”

Miller said it takes about 12 rounds a year for an LGC member to break even, adding members also get discounts at a number of local eateries as well as golf equipment and lessons.

“And to play at a variety of courses improves your game,” he added. “If you’ve never experienced a Tarandowah or a FireRock or a Grey Silo (in Waterloo), then what’s your measuring stick?”

A double whammy of too many courses and a couple of economic downturns have hammered the golf industry, said Miller, who added “time and money” are golf’s two biggest enemies.

“The state of golf in North America is that play is down 30% and I don’t care where you go,” he said. “The recessions have hit everyone and the recreational dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. Plus there were a plethora of courses built between the 1970s and 1990s, especially in the ’90s, because everyone thought the baby boomers would have the resources to spend like crazy (when they retired) and that turned out not to be the case.

“Within a 45-minute drive, you’ve got 61 courses. Too many have been built, consequently a lot of courses have a lot of tee times in the afternoon. So we look at this as a win-win relationship. We don’t want to raid other clubs’ memberships — it has to be a win for the (participating) clubs, it has to be a win for the London Golf Club and it has to be a win for our membership.

“And the majority of clubs have welcomed us with open arms.”

On the subject of time, Miller said the golf industry will have to change its thinking in some instances.

“Golf is getting to be a six- or seven-hour venture these days, what with getting to the course, the slowness of play — which they’re trying to address — as well as the after-golf experience,” he said. “For a lot of people, that’s too much time.”

It’s one of the contributing factors for the decline in play. Miller pointed to a study of Canadian golf consumer behaviour conducted last September on behalf of the National Allied Golf Associations that found just under 800,000 golfers are playing more rounds than before, but more than 2.1 million are playing fewer. As well, the number of players aged 18-25 is far less than the number aged 46-59, meaning the total golf population in Canada will shrink as the older players eventually give up the game.

One potential solution, one spoused by none other than Jack Nicklaus himself, is to go to more 12-hole courses, something that has already been done in a few places around the world, such as Scotland’s Isle of Arran, Oregon and even Mississauga at Derrydale. Going to 12 holes would also work in urban areas where land is at a premium.

“They are going to come in in the future because of those two enemies,” Miller said. “The mindset (of 18 holes) will have to change for some people, but if the golf industry isn’t going to do something, those (declining) numbers are not going to change.”

Lee French of London, playing out of the Forest Glen Golf Centre, was the top local finisher at the PGA of Ontario Spring Championship that ended Tuesday at Heron Point in Alberton, carding rounds of 72 and 80 to finish at 10-over 152, pocketing $177.04. Ian Doig of Seaforth was 52nd at 153 (78-75) while Dave Schweyer, the head pro at Tarandowah, tied for 45th at 155 after rounds of 79 and 76. Danny King of the Performance Academy at Magna in Aurora, fired 71-69—140 to win by two shots and earn nearly $3,700. At the Assistants Spring Championship at Wyndance Golf Club in Uxbridge, Brian Hadley of Thames Valley fired a three-over 75 to finish in a tie for 29th and just out of the money. Jim Kenesky of Waterdown won with a 67, earning $1,200.

Early Bird three-peat

Garrett Rank of Elmira became the first player to win the Early Bird Invitation men’s tournament at the St. Thomas Golf and Country Club in Union in three consecutive years as he posted a five-shot win.

Rank, who has battled testicular cancer and is also a promising hockey official, fired rounds of 73 and 71 to finish at even-par 144. Graham Hill of Sarnia Golf and Curling was alone in second at 149 after rounds of 75 and 74, while Stephane Dubois of Brantford (71-79) and Western University team member Harris Bundy of Toronto (79-71) tied for third at 150.

Five-time winner Bill Seagris of Pointe West was among a group tied at 151. Seagris also technically three-peated as he won in 2001, 2002 and 2004 (there was no tournament in 2003) as well as in 2007 and 2009. He had rounds of 73 and 78 to finish tied with 1998 champ Drew Symons of Oxford (75-76), Simon McInnis of Toronto National (77-74) and Chris Hemmerich of Westmount (74-77).

Sarnia’s Eric Pattenaude ran away with the B flight title, as his 148 total on rounds of 74 and 74 was eight better than Dave Wilson of Stratford (75-81). In C flight, it was a much tighter finish as Joe Nardi of Meadowbrook (87-77) edged Rod Farmer of Toronto (80-85) by a stroke.

Morton wins at Thames

Jim Morton of London won his second Thames Valley Labatt Invitation title in three years as he fired a one-under-par 71 on the Classic layout. Jason Dunlap took the A flight crown in a playoff with Scott Jones after both posted 73. Burt Steiner took B flight with a 73, Errol Lake won C flight with a 78, Paul Scapinello of Thames took D flight with an 81 and Garth Reeves was the E-flight winner with an 87. The tournament, which was revived in 2011 after ending a decades-long run in the mid-1990s, had a field of 93 in five flights.

Future Links

Samuel Hebert of St. Thomas was the top local finisher at the CN Future Links of Ontario championships in Listowel, firing rounds of 77, 75 and 74 to finish in 14th place at 10-over 226, 11 shots behind winner Carter Simon of Sutton.

Tyler Schepens of London finished at 230 after rounds of 78, 76 and 76, while Crawford McKinlay of Blenehim went 81-77-75—233. Simon beat Hugo Bernard of Mont. St. Hilaire, Que., on the second hole of a playoff after they both finished at one-under 215.

In the girls’ event, Courtney Tolton of Mitchell tied for 12th at 241 after rounds of 79, 85 and 77. She finished 19 shots behind Maddie Szeryk of Allen, Tex.

The Future Links is Canada’s national junior golf program, conducted by Golf Canada, the PGA of Canada and provincial associations.

Make-A-Wish event cancelled

Due to a lower number of entries than was anticipated, Make-A-Wish Southwestern Ontario has had to cancel its Ladies Classic, which was scheduled for June 12 at the Oaks. Instead, the foundation will proceed with its Blue Night Reception and Golf Classic events July 17 and 18 at Sunningdale.